The growing numbers of multilingual students — often otherwise known as “English language learners” — in Minnesota schools are getting attention from educators and lawmakers.

It’s the result of thoughtful public policy about the students’ future — and Minnesota’s.

“We need every one of our English language learners to do well if we’re going to do well as a state,” said Rep. Carlos Mariani, a St. Paul Democrat whose work this legislative session is reflective of a shift in thinking about how multilingual students are taught.

It’s a shift that considers students’ home languages an asset as they pursue their educations, even as they learn English.

But last year, just 59 percent of English language learners graduated from high school statewide, and those students had significantly lower scores on state proficiency tests, the Pioneer Press has reported. In the St. Paul district, where students speak some 100 languages and dialects, about 33 percent of students are English language learners.

To get this right, Mariani believes, “we need to stop thinking of the fact that they speak another language as a problem — a deficit.” Yes, they need to learn English. But in today’s global marketplace, knowledge of other languages and cultures is a competitive advantage.

The new approach to helping children learn English looks at a student as often having a firm foundation of language arts skills “that you can capitalize on and use to build strong English academic skills,” a philosophy supported by years of educational research, Mariani told us. “The non-English-language skills a student brings are, in fact, skills — good skills, powerful skills. We should be using those as the foundation from which to develop English skills and get these kids graduating in much larger numbers.”

The legislation, included in an education policy bill passed by the House — with a companion awaiting consideration in the Senate — has at its core, he said, an expectation that as we deliver education, “we take the home language as an asset and build off that.”

The drive for strong English language academic skills remains, he said, along with an effort to make sure students don’t fall behind in such other important areas as math and science.

The changes also focus on preparing teachers today and in the future to work effectively with students learning English, with implications for teacher preparation programs, as well as licensure and ongoing professional development.

We all have a stake in the students’ success. Bruce Corrie, an economist and associate vice president at Concordia University-St. Paul, has studied the human capital they and their communities represent.

“If we plan well now, with the best information we have and look at how we can tap the assets these communities offer,” he said, “we’ll be much ahead of the game with other states” in building our future workforce.

As you comment, please be respectful of other commenters and other viewpoints. Our goal with article comments is to provide a space for civil, informative and constructive conversations. We reserve the right to remove any comment we deem to be defamatory, rude, insulting to others, hateful, off-topic or reckless to the community. See our full terms of use here.

More in Pioneer Press editorials

As those we elect formulate plans to address Minnesota early-education needs, one word should guide their thinking: prioritize. The clear priority for targeted investment should be the estimated 40,000 low-income children identified as “left behind” for lack of access to high-quality early-education programs. The payoff of prioritizing — in terms of human potential, subsequent learning and avoided costs — is...

While much remains to do in his 12th and final year in office, St. Paul is a more vibrant place than it was when Chris Coleman was elected mayor in 2005. He last week announced his decision not to seek another term, deferring talk of a run for governor in 2018 for another day. His message to those gathered Thursday,...

Before they make expensive spending decisions at the Capitol next year, lawmakers should consider the perspectives of the Minnesotans on our economic front lines, the people running businesses large and small across the state. Failure to hear them out will put our competitive advantages — and jobs — at risk. Our recent conversations with business leaders highlight some factors to...

POLICE AND COMMUNITY Holiday Lights in the Park, open through Jan. 1 in Phalen Park, is more than the Midwest’s largest seasonal outdoor display. It’s a 41-day commitment by the St. Paul Police Department to engagement with the community it serves. “While the light displays are the star attraction, it is the connections between law enforcement and the public that...

As St. Paul grapples with civilian review of police actions in a charged climate, City Attorney Samuel Clark makes the key point: It’s essential to strike the right balance. As we see it, doing so means assuring the voice of street cops is heard on the commission that reviews misconduct complaints against officers. That notion is not popular with all...

In an act of good faith to the community it serves, St. Paul’s Board of Education should put aside an advisory opinion allowing it additional reasons to close some meetings. The four-member board majority that campaigned last fall under a banner of transparency should deliver nothing less. But the board sought the opinion from the state’s Department of Administration, which...